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Motorcycle Douchebag Test – Where do you fall?

Motorcyclists are a tribal, petty people. We make assumptions early in our careers that turn into biases we’ll vigorously defend to anyone ignorant enough to disagree. Luckily, experience and practical knowledge rarely come into play in these discussions; facts are nearly never welcome and typically dismissed as irrelevant. “Look at this asshole… doesn’t he know all Honda’s have been crap since the VFR with the gear-driven cams?” or “synthetic oil is just a huge waste of money”. These statements probably angered or reassured you. There’s rarely middle ground…READ

You Ride like a Girl – you wish!

The video below was shot in 2014 at a gymkhana event known as Top Gun, held at the Montevallo Safety Center. The event was free, and meant to help riders improve their skills. It was quickly apparent that a few riders did not need any improvement, so WHY were they there? It was very obvious that these same riders had mastered the graceful movement of motorcycles around the course, weaving between the cones like dancers in a ballet. READ

Weekend Adventure

The clear illustration presented is that you can have an adventure regardless of the chosen tools, your budget, time or distance. So the takeaway is get on your bike and ride this weekend……to somewhere new or cool, with what you have. READ

Loud Pipes Kill Puppies

Since the first time I heard the phrase “Loud pipes save lives” I wondered where someone gathered the data needed to make the claim. After discussing the concept with several of it’s advocates, I quickly realized the concept was a PR/marketing device – designed to persuade normal citizenry that the outrageous behavior had a positive benefit.

All bikers are guilty until proven innocent

A few of you might remember I got a ticket July 3rd for “weaving” – No signal, a mile from my house, got it on video, and it was bullshit, I changed lanes 2x in 5 miles, but I wonder what the judge will say? After talking to a few people, it appeared I had a good case. The video showed there was a slim chance any video could have even seen my signals, since I could NOT see the Trooper’s signals in MY video. So I decided to fight. I put together a compelling case of the entire video, and some screen captures, with annotations and position of the vehicles in question. READ

Why and how I started riding a scooter

I think my situation is a little unique. Growing up, my brother and I were not allowed to own a motorcycle. A family member had died in a bike accident, so we were highly discouraged. We weren’t discouraged from motorized adventure though, we raced boats and cars (drag and circle tracks) and loved speed and thrills. My total motorcycle experience was a few rides on friends bikes. In the early 1980′s I was a service member stationed in Germany. I was in a rural area, so I did not see a lot of it, but I did notice that scooters (not motorcycles) were a big part of the transportation system. Over the past couple of years I have vacationed in London, Paris and Berlin. I was amazed at the efficiency of the transportation systems in those cities. Read the article

Cop runs over suspect on motorcycle

I picked my opening and slowly turned off the road just as the player rolls the dice. As everyone in the game focuses on the numbers, I slip my front wheel between two gamers and stop with the pot trapped under my front wheel…and all hell breaks loose when someone screams ‘FIVE OH!-FIVE OH!-FIVE OH!” Read the story

Custom Motorcycles or Why To Tear Down A Perfectly Good Bike

I have had my ’08 Sportster for a few years now. Though it was not exactly stock when I bought it and had even been modified further once I got my hands on it, it just wasn’t the bike I wanted it to be. It was high time I tore it apart, changed and replaced some parts and put it all back together again. On the day I started this project a friend was there to drink with me, provide extra hands and, as it would turn out, inspire some pretty thought provoking questions. More

Why My First Charity Ride Will Be My Last

Back in September I decided to take part in a charity ride. It was my first and though I have been told never to say never, it will likely be my last. I had listened to several folks tell of their issues on rides like this and they gently cautioned me against participation. Looking back, I really wish I had listened. READ

Thoughts on Road Trippin’

In my time as a motorcyclist, I have taken a handful of cross country trips. I am not an expert by any means but I am completely comfortable packing a bag and leaving out for over a week or more with no reservations. On my last trip, as I didn’t organize or plan it, things were done differently. The stark contrast between the two styles of trip was something I felt would be worth talking about. It is something I will have to consider when planning my next trip. Read the story

Motorcycle Flattrack Racing in Alabama

Is it for real? C’mon, this can’t be for real, unless it is a bunch of old rednecks in a cornfield? Dirt track racing died out in the 70′s did it not? I picture the old-timers drifting sideways on the old Harleys and Triumphs, smacking into those old wooden fences and tumbling into the crowd. So I always assumed it died out because all the riders died out, from crashing or old age. Sanity prevents newer riders from engaging in this activity – right? Read more flattrack racing

AlabamaSportbike.com – alsportbike.com closes the doors

They announced earlier this month they would be going offline today. From what I gathered it was due to lack of interest and participation from members, declining membership and other factors. There was some mention about a period of hurt feelings, possibly similar to what we have experienced recently, and maybe that had something to do with the changes in activity. I have been a member since shortly after discovering their existence (pretty sure they started around the same time we did in ’07). Even went on a few rides with them. Seemed like a pretty tight group that even had a good amount of activity in other parts of the state. We welcome all the former members in this community, and hope they find some of what they are missing from those days. Alabama Sportbike Forum

Riding with the new guy

If the first question out of your mouth after the handshake is “How do you feel about riding farther, faster and longer and coming back when it will be darker and colder?” and the reply is “What are you thinking” instead of “no,” you know you are in the company of someone who isn’t afraid to ride. You could call what we did meandering, though we had a very specific goal: I needed to scout a campsite at Payne Lake for an upcoming trip. I looked at the roads and connecting roads on the map and laid the tape on the tank before leaving for Tip Top. We shot the breeze for a minute before heading out. Read

The Double-Yellow Lesson

After riding last week with some new guys, and watching some common mistakes witnessed on some of the tight, twisty roads we were enjoying, I started wondering – Why are these guys making the same mistakes, over and over? – The answer seemed clear after some thought, and I wished I would have had the chance to share my thoughts with them. More

Track Day at Talladega Gran Prix

The new Power Commander makes the R6 have sort of a loping reggae rhythm when it first cranks, until it gets up to temperature. Bump the starter…the engine lopes to life. I like the sound of the Yosh RS-3 exhaust. The engine warms up while I put on the rest of my gear. This will literally be the first time I’ve ridden the bike at speed since I did all of the work to it. I have NO idea what to expect. I take the bike off the paddock stand, mount up, snick it into gear and roll towards pit-out, along with 24 of my soon-to-be closest friends. I now LOVE the sound of the Yosh RS-3. It sounds raw and edgy. Read the Article

Ride to Davis Ferry

As the craft landed, Bart rode his Triumph Tiger onto the ramp like a Marine landing on the beach on D-Day. He was the only traveler, and quickly turned around to board the craft again with us. On board, we hardly felt movement, but the craft moved us to the other side quite quickly, maybe 200 yards across. Upon landing on the other side, the operators hustled us off, and we wandered through the park that ran along the side of the river.

Dual Sport riding in Alabama

A nice day to do some off-roading in the urban areas of Homewood, we decided to do a tour of the old Sloss mines just off Lakeshore drive. The mining ruins of the previous iron industry still exist in their rotting forms. Enough to make an interesting day of riding and exploring to the area known to THE DIRTY DOZEN as – The Shire READ MORE